


See It With The Lights Out

by Elennare



Category: Yogscast "High Rollers" D&D Campaign
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:21:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21867412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elennare/pseuds/Elennare
Summary: “Lucius knows he should be paying attention to the noises from the street, to any sign of the guards returning; but all he can focus on is Quill.”
Relationships: Qillek Ad Khollar/Lucius Virion-Elluin Elenasto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 44
Collections: Yuletide Madness 2019





	See It With The Lights Out

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mr_DeBlob](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mr_DeBlob/gifts).



> For mr-deblob - hope you like it :)
> 
> This takes place in some vague near-future airship stop.  
> Title is from "You Are In Love" by Taylor Swift.
> 
> ETA: many thanks to the Quillucius tumblr chat who inspired a lot of this fic, now I can acknowledge them without losing anonymity :)

Lucius isn’t entirely sure how they ended up in this situation. Well, he knows how it started - Sentry wanted cake for the crew, and none of them can refuse Sentry anything right now. Then Quill was told it was his job as quartermaster to see to it, Aila and Nova insisted he shouldn’t go alone now he no longer had a messenger ring, and somehow Lucius ended up being the one to accompany him. So far, so good… How they misunderstood local customs so badly they’re now running from the city guards, Lucius is a lot less sure about! And he doesn’t have time to spare to think about it; their pursuers may not be in sight, but their shouts are still a lot too close for comfort.

"Over there!" Quill gasps, gesturing towards a narrow alleyway that branches off between two tall houses.

Lucius dives into it without a second thought. Quill squeezes past him, then grabs his arm and pulls him further along, into a tiny gap between two of the houses that border the alley.

"Quiet," Quill whispers, looking up at Lucius.

Lucius puts a finger to his lips, to show he’s understood. Quill’s sharp eyes follow the gesture, his gaze seeming to linger on Lucius’s lips for a moment before he abruptly turns away to watch the alley. Strange, Lucius thinks… Maybe it’s not a gesture aarakocra use, and he was confused? It’s dark in here, maybe he simply couldn’t see what Lucius was doing? (Why does it matter, he asks himself, and doesn’t know what the answer is).

Heavy footsteps and loud voices can be heard now, along the larger street they just left, and they both hold their breath. From where he’s standing, Lucius can’t see the entrance to the alley; but when Quill’s grip suddenly tightens on his forearm, he knows their pursuers must be silhouetted there. They both stay frozen in place, and soon enough (though it feels like forever) they hear the footsteps move away.

Still, they stay where they are, afraid of being caught by the returning guards if they leave too soon. Lucius's heart is pounding, so loudly he wonders if Quill can hear it… Quill whose ears are so sharp, Quill whose head is about level with Lucius's chest. For some reason, that thought makes his heart beat faster still. Funny, he never really thinks about how much shorter than him Quill is… it's hard to think of much else right now, when there's barely any space between them. He knows he should be paying attention to the noises from the street, to any sign of the guards returning; but all he can focus on is Quill, Quill’s hand still on his arm, Quill’s head cocked in that way that means he’s listening with all his might, Quill so very near to him.

Lucius isn’t sure how much time has passed while he’s been lost in these thoughts. Has it been long enough for it to be safe for them to leave? He doesn’t know, but Birdie surely will, he’s so smart. Cautiously, Lucius bends his head, to whisper in his ear.

"Do you think we can leave?" It’s a logical question, so why does Lucius hate asking it?

Quill tilts his head and frowns, weighing up the odds. It’s an expression Lucius has seen him make so many times, anxious and worried about them all. It’s one he wishes he hadn’t seen so often… ‘ _ Could I kiss it away? _ ’ Unbidden, the question floats across his mind, and all at once Lucius can’t breathe, everything falling into place with a sudden clarity that’s as blinding as a lightning strike.  _ Oh _ .

He's in love with Birdie. 

It's obvious now, it's so obvious, how has he never realized before? Oh, he'd known he loved him, but he'd thought it was only friendship, thought it was the same love he feels for all his friends… How has he been so blind? He sees it now, so clearly he can’t understand how he couldn’t before. He wants to kiss him (even if he's not entirely sure how to… but he could kiss his forehead, at least, his cheeks… his beak?); he wants to take the hand still curled around his arm in his own; he wants to hold Birdie close and never let him go… 

"Lucius? Are you okay?" Quill is looking worriedly at him now, and Lucius realizes he must have missed the answer to his question. And no, he is not okay, not with Quill so close to him, not with Quill’s face barely inches from his own.

"Yes, sorry, just… thinking… what did you say?" 

"I said, we should probably wait a bit longer, to make sure," Quill murmurs.

Lucius nods his agreement and straightens again, before he can do anything stupid like give in to the temptation to kiss him. Quill looks up at him, clearly still worried. Unable to think of anything better, Lucius smiles and puts a finger to his lips again - at least if they’re being silent he’ll have a few precious moments to think. Again, Quill’s eyes seem to rest on him for a little too long, before he turns back to keeping a look-out… Wishful thinking, Lucius can’t help telling himself.

And maybe it is. Probably it is. But Lucius has come so close to death so many times recently, Quill has actually died and come back, and so very nearly died again… Yes, it’s probably wishful thinking, Quill probably doesn’t see him as anything other than a friend; but if there’s even the slightest chance, Lucius wants to take it now, not regret letting it go later.

"Birdie?"

"Hmm?" Quill asks, still looking away, towards the entrance to the alley.

"I… Would you… Can I…" Lucius comes to a stammering halt, discovering it was one thing to decide to make a move, and another to actually do it.

"What is it, Lucius? What’s wrong?" Quill looks back at him now, worried again.

"CanIkissyou?" he gasps out in one breath, and instinctively screws his eyes shut for a second, scared of the reaction.

When Quill doesn’t reply (or flinch back, or snatch his hand away, that's something, surely?), Lucius forces himself to open his eyes and look at him. He seems to be frozen in place, staring up at Lucius, eyes wide. His neck feathers have fluffed out as they always do when he's startled - do they do that for good surprises? Lucius isn’t sure… have they ever had a good surprise? As the silence lengthens, Lucius can’t help taking that as his answer - and panicking again.

"I’m so sorry, Birdie - Quill - please don’t be mad - "

"Lucius," Quill interrupts, softly. "Did… did you mean it?"

Is he trying to give Lucius a way out? Lucius has a horrible feeling he is - but he can't take it, he can't lie to Birdie, not about this. 

"Yes," he whispers, looking down at his feet in embarrassment.

"Then yes."

Lucius’s gaze snaps back up.

"What?"

"Yes. Please… please kiss me," Quill says, so quietly Lucius couldn’t have heard him if they hadn’t been standing so close.

"Really? You’re not mad - and you want me to - "

"I’ll be mad if you didn’t mean it," Quill murmurs, with a teasing smile - but Lucius can see the worry behind it, the way his brow is starting to furrow again. He can't have that.

He lifts his right hand to cup Quill’s cheek (if he moves his left arm, Quill might let go of it, and he can’t bear that), and leans down. Slowly, tentatively, hardly able to believe it's happening, he presses his lips first to Quill’s forehead, to that frown he wants to see disappear, then to the corner of his mouth. 

"I should have asked - do aarakocra kiss?" he says, pulling back a little. Not far, just enough to see the expression on Quill's face.

"Sort of… different… beaks, you know…" Quill looks and sounds about as dazed as Lucius feels. "That was - I liked that, I really liked it," he adds more quickly, smiling at Lucius. "I suppose… something similar would be… let me show you."

As he says that, Quill lets go of his arm at last. Lucius starts to protest, but then Quill reaches up and slips his hand around the back of Lucius's neck, and the complaint dies unsaid. Instead, he gasps quietly, as Quill stands on tiptoe and pulls him close enough to rub his head against his cheek. Birdie’s feathers are so very soft against his skin… 

"Is - is it weird?" Quill whispers nervously. "For you, I mean?"

"It's wonderful," Lucius whispers back, and means it. 

Lucius winds his arms around Quill, pulling him closer, and Quill mirrors the gesture, leaning his head against Lucius's chest as he wraps his wing around him. Lucius's mind goes back to the Ironweald, to a freezing night when he'd huddled against Quill for warmth, slept beneath the shelter of his wing. Had he been falling for Quill even then? He’s not sure… when did admiration become friendship, when did friendship turn into this love filling his heart now? He doesn’t know, and - bending his head to rest it on Quill’s, smiling at the adorable squeak of pleased surprise Quill gives as Lucius kisses his crested feathers, then nestles into them - he decides it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that now he’s finally realized how much he cares for Birdie, and somehow, amazingly, Birdie cares for him too. 


End file.
